Is Apple's new design shift influenced by domestic manufacturers?

In recent years, smartphone manufacturers have shown less enthusiasm for overhauling their operating system's UI interfaces.

The frameworks for interaction and design language in smartphone operating systems have largely stabilized, and users have developed fixed usage habits. For manufacturers to start from scratch would not only prolong the development cycle and increase costs but also potentially confuse users, posing significant risks. Consequently, recent system upgrades have primarily focused on refining details or leveraging new technologies such as AI and IoT to introduce new features. Brands like OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and the benchmark in system design – Apple – have all adopted similar strategies aimed at stability.

The design of the iOS system mirrors that of the iPhone: years of stagnation have gradually labeled the market with the perception of "no significant changes," leading to inevitable aesthetic fatigue among users. Apple, known for its conservatism and without significant UI changes since iOS 14, is due for a design refresh.

The latest news indicates that Apple can no longer contain its urge for change. Jon Prosser, host of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, revealed in a video that Apple will redesign the camera app in iOS 19 and further enhance the visuals of interfaces like the home screen to align with the VisionOS style of Apple's Vision Pro headset.

Currently, talk of an iOS 19 UI upgrade is mere speculation. If it's merely a simple interface upgrade, it's relatively straightforward. However, if it involves changes in interaction, Apple is unlikely to take a radical approach. Yet, users tired of the iOS interface design can anticipate Apple's new moves with excitement.

Major Camera Interface Overhaul: Is iOS Going Fully "Vision"-ized?

Hints of the iOS interface design mimicking VisionOS can already be seen in iOS 18.

The Control Center underwent a significant redesign, adopting a multi-page layout and introducing a Control Center component library, providing third-party developers with component interfaces for the Control Center. In terms of design, the icons in the iOS 18 Control Center have rounder corners, emphasizing circular icons and the texture of semi-transparent frosted glass.

Semi-transparent frosted glass and rounded corners are hallmarks of the VisionOS UI, setting the tone for spatial computing interaction and further enhancing the immersive quality of spatial engagement. Unlike multi-layer card stacking, semi-transparent frosted glass strengthens the connection between the background and the application interface. When users focus on a certain interface, other parts can be blurred and merged with the background, reducing distractions.

(Image from Apple)

However, the frosted glass effect places higher demands on system optimization and the processing performance of the computing platform. On some older devices, you may notice that the Gaussian blur effect is missing in some interfaces to reduce computational load.

Regarding the camera interface in iOS 19, the primary change compared to the current version is the adoption of a semi-transparent frosted glass interface similar to VisionOS. According to the video demonstration by Front Page Tech, the new interface has been further simplified, with various modes consolidated into the bottom bar of "PHOTO/VIDEO," reducing obstruction of the preview window, and high-end materials can further enhance the sense of immersion.

(Image from Front Page Tech)

Front Page Tech also predicted changes to the home screen style in iOS 19, with card backgrounds featuring semi-transparent frosted glass design and icons turning circular, highly similar to VisionOS. Lei further speculates that in terms of icons, Apple should also offer options between rounded rectangles and circles.

Apple has long played with real-time rendering of Gaussian blur, and such high-end materials exist across various systems like iOS/iPadOS, and macOS. The "premium feel" of interaction is inseparable from this technique.

As the most mainstream high-end material rendering technique currently, it's not just about manufacturers showing off their rendering capabilities; it's also about adjusting the blur level in real-time based on user interaction, enhancing the "breathing sense" and interface hierarchy, and highlighting important display content. Currently, brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, Huawei, and vivo are adding richer Gaussian blur effects to their new systems and highlighting them during launch events, to some extent inspired by Apple.

(Image from Front Page Tech)

As early as the iOS 18 leak stage, there were rumors that Apple would adopt design elements from VisionOS. Indeed, we can see similar changes in the current iOS 18, although the perception may not be too strong for users. It seems that Apple will gradually refresh the interface of the system in the upcoming iOS upgrades, rather than drastically modifying the visual effects in a single major version.

Apple Remains a Benchmark in Mobile OS Design

Apple's iOS design style has evolved from skeuomorphism to flat design, and then to modernization and intelligence.

The early iOS system adopted a design style called "Skeuomorphism," using visual elements of real-world objects to draw the system interface. For example, the computer application interface resembled the 1977 Braun ET44 design, and the note-taking app interface looked like real notepad paper, thereby connecting the real and digital worlds.

Starting with iOS 7, Apple officially moved towards flat design, removing most realistic textures and shadows from app icons and replacing most system interfaces with white backgrounds, making the overall design simpler and flatter. In subsequent iOS upgrades, Apple has consistently focused on simplicity and modernization.

In iOS 11, Apple introduced new design elements, redesigning the Control Center and Dock, further simplifying the interface with clearer icons and text, and introducing new technologies such as ARKit. By this point, the design tone of iOS was basically fixed. After iOS 12, Apple gradually introduced high-end materials and dynamic feedback, aiming to simulate the physical motion rules in the real world. It is evident that iOS's connection with the real world has not been severed by flatness and modernization.

Excellent interface design and animation effects can provide a better interactive experience. As an industry benchmark, Apple's iOS has influenced numerous deeply customized systems in China and has long faced challenges from competitors. On December 28, 2020, Xiaomi officially released MIUI 12.5 and stated at the launch event that in terms of system animation, aesthetic design, and fluidity, it was "indistinguishable" from iOS. Additionally, OPPO's ColorOS 15 system also boasts the label of "comprehensively Apple-like."

(Image from OPPO)

Even many netizens have expressed the opinion that "Apple's 60Hz is smoother than Android's 120Hz," which further demonstrates the representativeness of iOS in visual effects.

In recent years, domestic manufacturers have developed their own systems for Gaussian blur and interactive animation, all restoring physical motion curves and introducing animation engines to enhance the frosted glass effect, with similar ideas. In terms of visual effects, iOS remains the benchmark, but domestic systems have made remarkable progress in the past two years, significantly narrowing the gap with competitors. In particular, the emergence of Huawei's HarmonyOS Next (native HarmonyOS) has brought a brand-new approach to the OS market.

From Learning from Apple to Surpassing Apple: Domestic Systems Are Catching Up

When asked about the reasons for buying iPhones, many friends commonly reply, "it's user-friendly and premium," rather than "everyone else is buying, so I am too." When asked to elaborate on the user-friendly aspects, many of them struggle to provide specifics.

In fact, this feeling of usability has nothing to do with "faith" or "mysticism" and is not a "mindless trust" in Apple. It's just that ordinary users find it difficult to systematically describe the visual effects of iOS, and "user-friendly" is the simplest evaluation, inherently tied to the aesthetically pleasing and natural interactive animation and high-end materials.

Not only ordinary users but also the mobile phone industry hold a recognition and active learning attitude towards Apple's iOS visual effects system, with many manufacturers regarding iOS as an object of pursuit. Regardless of the effectiveness, it at least demonstrates the significant benchmark effect of Apple.

In fact, smartphones outside the iOS camp have made significant progress in visual effects and fluidity, and the situation of "becoming sluggish after a year of use" basically no longer exists. In 2024, smartphone manufacturers focused on system upgrades related to system animation, visual effects, Dynamic Island, and other features, once again enhancing the interface and fluidity of mobile phone systems.

(Image from Apple)

Recently leaked images of a new OPPO phone desktop have also attracted the attention and discussion of netizens, primarily due to the upgraded stacked background interface consistent with iOS. Lei also investigated and found that now deeply customized systems can indeed achieve visual effects on par with Apple's.

In this battle of systems, Lei believes that Apple is the one who should truly be worried. After all, the visual effects of iOS have not been refreshed for a long time, leading to user "aesthetic fatigue," and the existing visual system is struggling to maintain its leading advantage. If the camera interface of iOS 19 is comprehensively refreshed as described by Front Page Tech, a fully "Vision"-ized iOS system is worth looking forward to.

However, Apple will certainly not complete the upgrade of its visual system in a single major version upgrade. More importantly, it needs to focus on introducing new functions and accelerating the advancement of Apple AI.

Source: Lei Technology

Images in this article are from: 123RF Authentic Stock Photo Library. Source: Lei Technology